And If I Want to Go Home?
by Plato's Tragedy
Summary: Set between the end of the war and the Scouring of the Shire, Frodo's darkness and his nostalgia are tearing him apart, while others around him must decide what takes proirity, home or love?
1. End of the Middle

And If I Want to Go Home?

WARNING!! Contains major spoilers for Return of the King!!

Summary: After the ring is destroyed, Frodo is depressed and longs to escape. Allison, from earth, is trying to figure out the physics behind why she ended up in Middle Earth, all the while Éomer falls for her. Allison and Frodo both have to decide which takes priority, home or love. 

A/N: This would be the third installment in my "Good Times" series. It is kinda necessary to understand that this is just a continuation Good Times II. I just didn't want a 30 chapter story. This does have a completely different plot, but it might have reference to stuff from another story. My first Good Times story is almost completely irrelevant at this point.

A/N contin: Also, I'm not sure exactly on the time-line of the book, this is just guessing.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters [but Allison and Eric] and most of the theories came from Discover Magazine and/or my cousin Alvin. All songs came from said artist

The End of the Middle

Frodo stared emotionless out the window of his room in the House of Healing. His hand bandaged and the wound was healing, but he still felt injured inside. The son shone brightly, as if it had just remembered how to do so, but Frodo never saw. He didn't see anything when he stared out the window, just memories now too far away to touch. He just saw the past and wished not to go back, but to some how resurrect it.

The war was over, but it's pain and terror left scars upon all who experienced it. The Ring was gone, the land was healing and the warriors became sons, fathers, husbands and brothers once more. Frodo wasn't any of those. He had not parents, no close family, not wife, no children. He had no one to go home to, and everyone he loved was in Gondor with him. Everyone he loved, had someone else to love as well. So Frodo, despondent and desolate constantly looked out the window. Constantly tried to bring himself out of the darkness he fell into, and constantly tried to remember why he was bothering anymore.

There was still yet life to be lived in Frodo, and he knew it. There were notes to take and friends to say goodbye too. He wanted to see Bilbo again. But there was something missing, and he did not understand what it was. There was a calling, but from where he did not know. He didn't think to respond to the call, for it was faint and far away. But he could not escape it's message. He was searching for something that he wasn't sure existed, and this is what was eating away at him inside.


	2. Evasive Workers

Evasive Workers

"Why is it that you can dimension-hop and no one else has ever been recording to do so?" Eric asked Allison one day while they had a light lunch outside in Gondor. For they had not returned home from their second trip to Middle-Earth. There was too much speculation and fear in leaving and coming back without knowing when and where you would return. So they had spent the time while everyone else was at war helping those that stayed behind in Gondor. They had now spent about 2 weeks here. The war was over, and they had been enjoying the festivities. 

"You ask me as if you expect me to know the answer." Allison said, Eric shrugged.

"I do."

"'Cause I'm cool, that's why." Eric rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. "I don't know. That's why we are experimenting."

"'Suppose to be experimenting' more like it. We haven't done a whole lot of that lately."

"Yes well, I have been trying to figure something out." She said matter-o-factly.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"Time."

"Well, when you find it you can also tell me your theory of relativity." Allison gave a mock laugh.

"Haha, funny. I'm trying to be serious. I've got an idea, but haven't had the time to really sit down and think about it."

"Well, I'm all ears. And it doesn't look like we are going to have to do any more work for now." The two had been helping out in the House of Healing and were on a short break.

"Basically, I figured out that our time moves differently from time here. Meaning that, say an hour passes here, only a nano second will pass at home."

"Which is why only a short period of time passed at home when we had spent a month here."

"Right. But I need to figure out calculations and such. I know that it was about a six hour to month ratio." It was then that Eric spotted Ioreth (who works in the House of Healing) and grabbed Allison arm in haste.

"Quick we have to get out of here before we get sent back to work!"

"Ok, let's go grab the notebook in our room and write down the time thing. And quick!" They ran off to their room to get the notebook and seek solace from their work but were intercepted by Aragorn.

"Where are you off too in such great haste?"

"We're trying to get away from Ioreth." Aragorn gave them an odd look as they raced into the room the two shared. He followed them in. Allison had the notebook and was scribbling something down as Eric read over her shoulder. 

"So it goes like this. When were gone for around six hours our time, a month passed here. Meaning, that…" Allison wrote something down. "Therefore, when we were at home for only three days, 8 months that passed here." Allison stopped her calculations and smiled, "Roughly."

"Now my questions is, how did you figure that out? That our time would go differently?"

"It's happened in the Chronicles of Narnia. When a few children had spent years and years in Narnia, grown old and had gotten married, and finally returned home, only seconds had passed on Earth."

"So when they went back a second time, years and years had passed again."

"Yes. It was more like a century." Eric seemed to mull over this, and Aragorn interrupted, startling Allison who was unaware he was in the room.

"How can it be, for these travelers that you speak off, as well as yourselves, that a mere second or hours can be the difference of years and months?" Allison was about to answer, but couldn't think of any real answer to his questions.

"Do you mean, like, scientifically?" Aragorn shrugged,

"If that be your means of explanation than so be it." Allison was stumped, and put a hand on her hip and said,

"Hum, I don't know. I'll have to think about that one and get back to you on it."

"Please. Gandalf and Elrond are eager to understand and record your findings." It was then, that Ioreth heard their conversations and walked into the room. Eric swore underneath his breath as she shuffled them off to work.


	3. Randome Intervals

Random Intervals

(3 days later)

Aragorn was actually having a relatively meaningful conversation with Gandalf, Faramir and the Prince Imrahil when Allison raced in with the notebook in her hand and exclaimed over and over again,

"I've figured it out Aragorn! I've finally figured it out!" She began to dance about the room, before Aragorn, with laughter on his lips, said

"Well don't just celebrate your merriment while we all live in ambiguity. Tell us!" Allison composed herself and finally saw the others in the room. She blushed slightly, knowing she had made a total ass out of herself in front of a whole tribunal of noblemen.

"Ahem, well it goes like this. This isn't a different dimension from Earth. This is a whole 'nother planet. Meaning that, though the concept it much the same, that we have not been 'dimension hopping' but, uh, what I'll call Tesseracting or 'wrinkling' (Thank you Madelein L'Engle). Ok, so then that means that the whole time issue is merely the fact that this planet rotates at a different speed than Earth or that this is in a different orbital around the same size sun. Or the same orbital around a different size sun, or a combination of both." Allison knew half way through that she had completely lost them, but decided to get her thought out just for the sake of it.

"Perhaps you'd better write this down for us…" Gandalf said.

* * *

While Allison was trying to compose her thoughts on to paper, she found she needed the length of each day in Middle Earth to continue her explanation. She looked about Gondor (for she was sitting outside) for someone from the city to answer her question. She saw Legolas ambling through.

"Legolas!" She called and an after him. He turned and smiled, Allison melting away.

"Good Afternoon Lady. How are you endeavors coming?" He said referring to her newest theory.

"Actually, I need your help. How long are the days and years here?" Legolas looked a little confused but said,

"24 hours and 365 days." Allison was crestfallen.

"Awe Dammit." She grumbled. "Well that shots my plan straight to hell." He looked at her with amused pity.

"How so?"

"Well that means that Middle-Earth's rotation and Earth's are the same. Meaning that my idea that our time differences are due to planetary rotation or orbital positioning can't be correct." Allison frowned slightly, and furrowed her brow as if in thought.

"Yet I suppose that…" The elf was interrupted by a squeal of delight from Allison.

"Oh! But that means that this must be another dimension…we are still on the same planet and…oh, this is fantastic!" Allison cried, throwing up her hands in exclamation and then raced off in the opposite direction. She called after her,

"Thanks for you help, Legolas!" He chuckled and continued on his way.

This was the second time that Allison barged in on a meeting of Aragorn's.

"Aragorn!" She hollered as she charged into the room, not taking any heed to anyone else. "My other theory was wrong. But I've proven that this is just another dimension of my planet. Because the days and years are the same and…" Allison's trailed off as she soon noticed the amused expression on Faramir, Gandalf, Éomer, Imrahil and Elladan and Elrohir's faces. She swore under her breath and made a mental note not to barge into any random meetings anymore.

"I'm glad you've made progress, Lady Allison." Faramir said. Allison looked mortified. She looked about quickly to try and find a quick and painless way to get herself out of this abashed situation.

"Oh what's that Ioreth? I'm coming!" She cried randomly, pretending to hear Ioreth and dashed out as quickly as she had come in.

"I did not hear Ioreth call." Éomer said to Aragorn, who just smiled and said,

"That's because she did not." Éomer nodded, understanding and laughed.


	4. In the House of Healing

In the House of Healing

"Maybe you should look into rooms before you race into them." Eric said to Allison she lay on her bed, pillow over her head trying to forget the utter embarrassment of earlier. 

"Shut up, Eric."

"I'm just trying to be helpful,"

"I want to find a hole to crawl into and die."

"I could dig one for you."

"You're not helping."

"Sorry." Eric stood and began to walk out of the room, "Well, I've got to get back to work. Perhaps you'd like to come and see Frodo today? His hands almost healed and he's been asking to see you." Allison nodded and said,

"I'll come after I change." Eric nodded and walked out heading towards the House of Healing. He was soon meet by Éomer in the hall, also heading in that direction.

"Afternoon Éomer." Eric said and Éomer smiled.

"Good Afternoon. Where is the Lady?"

"Drowning in her own humiliation." Éomer nodded in understanding. 

"How long is your stay in Middle Earth going to last?" Eric shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess until Allison figures out this theory."

"Will Gondor then be your residence until then?" Eric shrugged.

"I suppose. We don't have any other place to go. Aside from that if we do want to go home, we'd need to be here to do so." Éomer nodded but said nothing and looked a little disappointed. Eric looked at him in a side-glance and asked slowly, "Is there any reason to not to?" Éomer shook his head, not looking down at Eric but keeping his gaze forward. Eric looked up at him to observe him, very tall, handsome and rather young. Eric guessed early twenties. He wondered how Éomer had gotten so prestigious for being so young, but didn't say anything as they two approached the House of Healing. 

"Farewell, Eric." Éomer said as they parted ways and Eric waved.

"See ya." He then raced up the steps to the third floor to gather stuff for a fresh dressing for Frodo's hand and then went back down to the second floor where Frodo was, resting. He walked into his room, and Frodo smiled at him.

"Hey, how do you feel?" Frodo shrugged.

"As well as one could I imagine." Eric nodded and took the old dressing off his hand and replaced it. The wound still bled slightly, and caused the piece of linen to be a tenuous color of red. Frodo's eyes were vacant and sad. Eric tried to avoid looking at them, as a feeling of hopelessness always feel over him when he did. 

"How are you?" Frodo asked Eric and he shrugged.

"Same, I suppose. I'm at a loss of what to do recently. Allison is caught up in her science and crap so I feel like…I don't know. Like she's driving a car and not telling me where we are going." Frodo nodded, knowing that feeling himself. 

Eric was the favorite helper of those who worked in the House of Healing. He was always willing to do more work, often taking the burden of the others upon himself. The Warden called upon Eric often and he became very skilled in the ways of medicines and healing. The patients loved to hear Eric tell stories of Earth and asked to be tended by him more than any other helper in the House. But now that Allison was more often then not doing her calculations and theories, Eric found that he spent most of his free time with Frodo and Sam talking of his world and listening about theirs. It was now, that when usually Eric could be found with Allison, he was with Frodo and Allison was alone. 

"I understand. It's like the world is turning be you are standing still, wondering when it will all come to an end." Frodo diverted his eyes and looked out the window. Eric followed suit and they saw Allison, sitting in the garden of the House of Healing talking with Éomer. They then parted ways and Allison entered the House.

When she reached Frodo's room, Eric was just leaving. 

"You know who you remind me of?" Allison asked in a chipper voice.

"Who?"

"Miss. Barkley from a Farewell to Arms. She would always do more work then the other nurses and then spend all of her free time with Henry, who she was in love with."

"Are you suggesting that Frodo and I are more then just friends?" Eric asked joking. Allison laughed and said,

"I think you are secure enough with your sexuality for me not to have to answer that question." Eric chuckled and walked out. Allison entered the room and sat next to Frodo by the window.

"When is everyone leaving?" she asked him

"In a few weeks. Are you planning on coming with us?" He asked and Allison shook her head.

"We have to stay here, unfortunately. This is where the portal is."

"Why are you staying here in Gondor? I don't understand. It seems like if you are to stay in Middle Earth you might want to come and see it more. But if you are planning on leaving soon, you hide it well."

"Well, there are a lot of reason. One is that I have to finish my theory here. I need the space to think. Otherwise, by the time I got home and figure this thing out and came back to tell you all about it, it will have been too late." 

"Too late for what?"

"Well, as you know one month here is only a few hours back home. So by the time I would have gotten everything figured out and record, it would have been several days or weeks. And then years would have passed here." Allison said hastily and moved on "But in anycase, Elrond and Gandalf and Aragorn are all waiting for me to finish this theory so that's one reason why I'm still here."

"And another?" Allison hesitated. She looked out the window and after a few moments finally said,

"I'm reluctant to leave again. I like it here. I feel like I belong here, more so then I belong back at home. I missed being here more then I miss being at home." Allison leaned in a little closer to him and said, "Please don't tell anyone this, but I'm not sure I want to go home ever again." Frodo raised an eyebrow. 

"Would Eric go along with this plan?" Allison shook her head sadly.

"That's another problem. And I'm not sure I still want to stay here forever either. I do miss home; I miss my friends and my family. But…I don't know." Allison put a hand to her forehead. "But that's beside the point. How are you these days? You've seemed down lately. It would seem like to me that if you had just, you know, saved the world that you'd be happier." Frodo smiled a little, though it was melancholy and only showed more of the sadness in his eyes. 

"Yes, I am happy. But it's more of a merriment of everything being over."

"Of the Third Age being over?"

"Yes, that too."

"Where is Sam? I haven't seen him awhile." 

"Oh, he's out now. Getting something to eat with Merry and Pippin." Allison realized that she hadn't seen either of them in several days either.

"Man, I've really been consumed with my work haven't I? Seems like I haven't seen anyone in ages."

"Does your work take priority over everything else?" Frodo asked, though not as to personally encroach upon anything, just as a general idea.

"I suppose it depends. This theory needs to be done, but it certainly doesn't need to take so much time out of my life. If you all are going to be leaving soon, then I should spend as much time with you as possible. This may be the last time I see you." Allison then looked suddenly sad, and Frodo looked her in the eyes, knowing what she knew from her books was what he was having trouble cooping with in his heart. Her eyes began to tear a little so she turned away and walked towards the window. 

"I guess that one has to consider more then himself in every endeavor. But there are times when selfishness is appropriate." She saw the three other hobbits coming towards the House. She waved and they waved back. 

"Why don't you come with us at least part of the way. You can continue on to Rivendell with Elrond." Allison considered this.

"Hum, it's an idea. Though I do not know if there is a portal to home there."

"It may not matter in the end." Allison looked at him but he was also looking out the window. 

"Hullo, Allison." Pippin said walking into the room.

"Here Mister Frodo, we brought you some food." Sam said, offering some bread to Frodo, who just shook his head and said,

"I'm not hungry." 

"Like heck you aren't. You better eat, you haven't eaten all day." Allison said turning away from the window.

"How did you know?" Frodo asked a little surprised.

"Don't think that just because I haven't come to see you recently, that I haven't been checking up on you." 

"Oh Mister Frodo, if you don't eat how are you be well again?" Sam asked, plopping himself on Frodo's bed. 

"How have you been, Merry?" Allison asked. She had noticed that Merry and Pippin were quite a few inches taller now. Now they were only a few inches short of Allison herself.

"Just happy to have everyone here, together again." Allison nodded "But I'm anxious to get back to the Shire."

"Oh yes, me too. I want to see my Gaffer again." Sam said eagerly. 

"Yes, I'd like to go back home. As nice as it is to go around and be adventurous, a hobbit's heart is in the Shire." Pippin said.

"Well I think you've succeeded in proving to the world how resilient hobbits really are." Allison said as Eric walked in singing.

"_I'm gonna to prove it to the world! I'm gonna to prove it to the world, to all the boys and girls, I'm going to prove it to the world so here I go_!" he sang a MxPx song off-tune. 

"_Can't ascertain, can't refrain, I can't decline, I won't fall behind. I won't sit down, I won't leave town., I can't deny it. And I won't cry. And what does this all mean, and after all I've seen…_" Allison sang and collapsed into a fit of laughter, right along with Eric. After composing himself, he said,

"Oh MxPx. How I miss thee…" Eric sighed melodramatically and then suddenly remembered why he came into the room.

"Oh, yeah. Aragorn is looking for you." Allison huffed a little and said,

"But I just got here…."

"Well go tell him, I'm just the messenger." Allison sighed and stood up.

"Oh alright. But I'll come back." She said to Frodo, who nodded and then bide farewell.


	5. Wangdoodles, Narnia and Detusch

Wangdoodles, Narina and Deutsch

Allison walked out of the House, and it was beginning to turn dark. She was meet by Legolas and Gimli who were walking towards High Court and the Place of the Fountain as well. 

"Good Morrow, Lady." Legolas said.

"Evening, are you two going to see Aragorn too?"

"No; The twins of Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir."

"Oh, well I'm going the same way."

"Very well." The three walked on in silence, except for Allison, who was now singing very softly a MxPx song. Now that Eric had mentioned them, their songs were all that were going through her head.

"_We ain't got no place to go. So let's go to the punk rock show_…." Allison began to hum, and the elf and dwarf looked at her strangely.

"What an odd song it is that you sing." Gimli said. 

"Yes, well it's very different from anything that they sing here. That's for sure." Allison said. Gimli reminded her of Galadriel.

"Is Galadriel going to come soon?" She asked and Legolas said

"Yes, in a few days. And then we are leaving."

"Back to Mirkwood?"

"No, we are off to explore the forest of Fangorn." Allison gave a silent 'ah' as the three walked into the High Court.

Allison found Aragorn with Faramir, Imrahil and Gandalf. She didn't barge in this time, but waited to be let in by a servant. 

"Hello. You wanted to see me?" She asked and Aragorn nodded and motioned for her to sit in a chair. She did so.

"Have you be able to progress in your theory?"

"Kind of. I've been thinking a lot more than actually doing any calculations."

"Yes?"

"Well, I suppose that my ideas are rooted in literature. In the book The Last of the Wangdoodles, the only way to get to the place where the Wangdoodles are is to believe. When you stop believing, all of the creatures of the imagination die off. Now, I would suspect this could be a contender in my little Physical Theory Olympics, but for the fact that most of the creatures here, aren't anything overly imaginative. Elves, Dwarves, Wizards have all been in folklore and such of Earth since the dawn of time." Allison was interrupted by Faramir,

"And the Halflings?"

"Uh, no. Hobbits, Ents, Nazgûl and such were not introduced into society until your books were written. Which brings me to another thought. How did J.R.R Tolkien know of this story? Did he travel here, or get Bilbo, Frodo and Sam's memoirs or what? There are really two options here. One, that Tolkien also had this dimension-hopping ability, but perhaps hopped into the future, where as I hopped into the past. But then whose to say what the present it, or where it is? Now the more realistic option will lead me into my next theory.

"Tolkien's book, and the world he created, Middle-Earth, sprang from that first decision to create the books."

"Are you to suggest that our entire world is formed from the foundation of one man's imaginations?" Prince Imrahil asked, and Allison shrugged.

"Yes. Now there is a theory behind this. The theory that we do not cross the lines of space and time in a lateral motion, but that every decision we make creates another form of reality." The looks of blank stares indicated to Allison that she had to back up a bit.

"Let me start over. My original theory coincides with the theory of David Deutsch, called the Multiple World Theory. Basically that we exist in multiple forms of realities. I am here, and I am there all that the same time. Perhaps, when we die in one world, we remain alive in another."

"Yet, if we exist in more than one reality, why do we only know of the existence of one?" Faramir asked.

"Well, think about it like this; when you send a letter there are a ton of different things that could happen to it. It could reach its distention, it could get eaten by a horse or it could get sent to someone else. Now, only one happens making all the other realities, essentially collapses in upon its self. With multiple worlds, though, each of those realities happen, at the same time just not in the same dimension.

"This idea suggests that our motions through the planes of space and time is to go across. But the idea that one writer might create a whole new world from a book would go along with another theory. This theory suggests that every decision we make spawns another world. Meaning that Tolkien's decision to create Middle Earth in a book, actually created a Middle Earth." Allison paused and took a sip of some water that was poured out for her on the table. The four noblemen sat considering. 

"Does this satisfy your time issue?" Gandalf asked and Allison shook her head.

"That brings me to my next issue. In a series of books called the Chronicles of Narnia, four children go through a wardrobe and end up in a world called Narnia. They end up living in Narnia for many years and become kings and queens of the place. But when they walk back through the wardrobe back into their own world, only seconds have passed. It's this idea that bothers me. That each world created will move by it's own space and time. Aside from that, when my first trip dimension hopping, I ended up in the past, but when I came back to Earth it was a day before I had left. Does that make any sense?" The four nodded, even though it didn't totally. 

"So, you feel that to understand the movement of time, you would be able to understand the origins of each dimension?" Imrahil asked and Allison nodded. 

"Unfortunate, your quest will not come easy for you in this world. We are not creatures of science, but of history." Aragorn said. 

"Yeah, that's the problem." 


	6. The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End

Frodo was beginning to worry Sam. He was increasingly quite, and did not participate in any festivities nor interact very much with anyone. He seemed to have fallen into a heavy depression, and Sam could not think of anything that would pull him out of it. One afternoon he walked in Frodo's room and saw him staring out the window, as he did often.

"Hullo, Mister Frodo. Is there anything I can do for you today?" Frodo did not respond to this question but said,

"Have you seen Éomer with the Lady Allison lately?" Sam shook his head even though Frodo couldn't see him.

"No, I can't say I have."

"He's often with her now. I think he is in love with her." Sam was take aback.

"What was that Mr. Frodo?"

"I think Éomer is in love with Lady Allison." Sam gave a silent 'ah' and walked over to Frodo and took his hand.

"Mr. Frodo, I am worried about you. You have been acting strangely of late." Frodo turned to his friend,

"How's that Sam?"

"Well, you seem a little sad." Frodo said nothing, but looked Sam in the eye. "But you shouldn't be sad, Mr. Frodo. We are going to be going home soon." Sam patted Frodo's hand and then took a seat on his bed.

"Home…I haven't seen the Shire in almost a year." Frodo said it without emotion.

"Don't you miss it?" Sam asked

"Yes…" Frodo did not seem nostalgic at all, but Sam decided to leave it at that as Eric entered the room.

"Woah whoo!" He hollered. "I have the whole night off!" Eric carried some tea with him, and as he began to dance around the room almost spilled it.

"How are you going to spend your time?" Frodo asked, Eric stopped dancing

"I don't have a clue." He poured some tea for the Hobbits and then set the pitcher down on the windowsill. "Haven't have time off in so long that I forgot what I did with myself when I did."

"You can come with Mr. Merry and Mr. Pippin tonight. We are going to the pub. Are you coming with us too, Mr. Frodo?"

"If I can get leave, I will."

"Oh hell, I'll sign you out. I don't see how a few drinks will hurt you any." Eric said. "I'll come to. I've got nothing better to do."

"Very well. Perhaps we will see Legolas and Gimli there. I have not heard from them in some time." Frodo said and Eric nodded.

"They probably will."

* * *

Around the same time, Allison was sitting in the Place of the Fountain, thinking, when Éomer came around.

"Good Afternoon, Lady."

"Hello, Éomer. What are you up to today?"

"I was going to go for a ride this afternoon, would you care to accompany me?" Allison smiled, but was hesitant. She wasn't getting a whole lot of work done, but she would feel guilty going out while it was still there.

"I would really like to, but I have obligations to my work…"

"It will only be for a very short time…" Allison wasn't one that was too difficult to persuade when it came to an afternoon spent with a good looking guy.

"Oh sure, why not." She put her notebook down and walked off with Éomer. As they approached the stables Eric and Pippin, who were out gathering some herbs, spotted her.

"Oh, busted." Allison turned around and saw the two and smiled. "Whatever happened to your 'theory'?" Eric asked and Allison shrugged.

"I needed a break. And whatever happen to your 'job'?"

"I'm still doing that, we are going out to gather herbs." Eric said a little annoyed.

"Oh, well…" Allison could think of nothing to say, "Well, good. I'm just taking my thinking outside." Eric rolled his eyes, but waved her on, frustration tainting his voice. 

"Whatever, just go." Allison smiled and continued with Éomer.

About 20 minutes later, the two had stopped at a same creek just outside of the Tower. Allison dismounted to stretch her legs.

"Good Lord, it's been like 4 years since I've last ridden a horse."

"Though you ride gracefully." Allison rolled her eyes.

"Ha, I doubt that." She sat on the ground, as Éomer dismounted and followed suit. They were both quite for some time, though Éomer continued to stare at her. Allison laughed a little and looked at him,

"What are you looking at?"

"Your loveliness bathed in the sunlight." Allison blushed and smiled. She looked down, a little shy but Éomer lifted up her chin with a single, strong finger so that she looked into his eyes. The sun parted through the trees, and covered the two in the warmth of its light.

* * *

Legolas and Gimli had joined the hobbits and Eric at the pub. They sat together in the musky room, while the smell of beer and dried wood drifted around them. Eric and Pippin where exhausted from gathering the herbs in the sun all afternoon and both had laid their heads on the table.

"When will Aragorn and Arwen's wedding be held?" Merry asked.

"In three days. Elrond, Celeborn and the rest of the guests must arrive here first." Legolas said.

"It going to be a bitter-sweet event. The final parting of the Fellowship." Frodo said.

"Yes, that it will." Gimli responded, then taking a gulp of his beer.

"Hun? What do you mean?" Eric asked, slowly lifting his head from the table.

"We will be departing a less then two weeks." Legolas answered.

"What? All of you?"

"Aragorn will stay behind, as he is now King of Men and Ruler of Gondor." Eric looked crestfallen.

"I didn't realize it was so soon."

"The Third Age must come to an end, my dear fellow." Gimli said sorrowfully but with a sense of finality in his voice. It was then that Eric remembered what Allison had told him the day the two left. That Frodo, Elrond and Gandalf all pass into then Havens. He looked suddenly at Frodo, the quite and now forlorn hobbit. He saw the desolation in his eyes, and felt the vacancy and apathy in his words. Eric was now suddenly sad, wishing he could suddenly do something for him, but knowing he couldn't really.

The next morning, Eric saw Allison for the first time since yesterday afternoon. He saw her in her room with the door open. He walked in,

"How was your ride with Éomer?" he asked in a taunt voice

"Very nice, thank you." she answered with just as much frustration. He was about to say something else, but changed his mind and began to walk out. She called after him,

"Eric wait." he turned around. "Are you mad at me, or something?" He sighed and said,

"No. I guess I'm just frustrated that I haven't seen you in awhile. You seem so concerned with you work, and I don't know." He brushed it aside, "Nevermind. It's not important."

"No, it is. I don't want our friendship to falter just because we are both too busy to see one another. Perhaps you should take the night off tonight and we should spend sometime together." Eric nodded, knowing that he had quite a bit to ask her about.

"Yeah, we should."


	7. A Little Bit of Lunch

A Little Bit of Lunch

Warning: This chapter contains spoilers to Return of the King!! 

Eric decided to have a heart to heart with Frodo. He walked in, in late morning. Frodo was staring out the window, despondent. Eric walked over to him, but Frodo made no notice of his being in the room.

"What are you looking at?" Eric asked looking over his shoulder.

"Éowyn and Faramir." The two we sitting in the garden, love struck and oblivious to anything else around them.

"That Éowyn chick looks a lot like Éomer."

"They are brother and sister."

"Hum, that's probably why. Is she going to marry Faramir?"

"Yes." The two were silent for sometime, while Eric thought to how to word what he wanted to say. 

"Frodo, you seem depressed lately."

"Yes, I have been told that." Frodo finally looked at Eric, who moved and stood next to the window. The sun sauntered in, but slanted slightly avoiding hitting both Eric and Frodo.

"Well, are you?"

"Depressed is not quiet the right word for it. I'm lacking nostalgia."

"What?"

"I do not really want to go home."

"Oh. Why not?"

"I don't know. I don't want to go anywhere. I don't think I have a place in this world anymore." Eric looked at him thoughtfully.

"Like you finished your purpose in life and now you need to move on?"

"Well, that's just it. I don't have anything to move on to. There doesn't seem to be any thing left for me to do." 

"Hum. Perhaps you should get a job."

"What?"

"Do hobbits not get jobs?"

"No, not really." Frodo looked a little confused and Eric furrowed his brow in a pensive way.

"Do you want a purpose?"

"I suppose it comes down to that, yes. But is there anything left for me to do? The world will turn without me as well as it would have with me."

"So, what are you going to kill yourself now?" Eric asked half-jokingly but more scared of Frodo's answer.

"No." He said but did not embellish anymore on it. 

"Oh, well…what are you going to do?" Eric had basically forgotten what Allison told him before about going to the Haven. It happens when you're a jock.

"I have a feeling. I don't know where it comes from. It's a calling, though I don't know where from."

"Meaning that…"

"I don't know. I have to go somewhere…somewhere but I don't know where." Frodo's eyes became distance and he suddenly seemed far away. Eric waited a few second, waited for Frodo to come back from where ever he was. 

"But it doesn't much matter, because I still need to finish my memories."

"Well, there. You now have purpose."

"Yes, I suppose. For now." Frodo looked out the window again. Éowyn and Faramir had left, but Éomer and Allison had replaced them.

"Do you think Éomer will ask Allison to marry?"

"What?!" Eric hollered at Frodo, but he did not flinch at all. 

"Have you not noticed the way he looks at her?"

"I've noticed that they've spent a lot of time together lately…" Eric was more or less at a loss for articulating words.

"He's going to ask her to marry him?"

"I don't know. I was just speculating. But I do believe he is in love with her."

"What?!" Eric screamed. He then sat himself on the bed, weakly.

"Man, I have to talk to her. Since when have you noticed this?"

"A few days ago." Eric sat contemplating this.

"Do you not want them to marry?"

"NO! Absolutely not! She's only 16, aside from that we are going to go home eventually…I don't know when, but eventually. And aside from that, she's only 16! She can't get married…besides, who is this Éomer guy anyways? I don't know anything about him."

"He's the King of Rohan."

"Oh…" Eric didn't say anything else, for awhile, but soon looked at Frodo and said, "I better go talk to her." Eric stood up and began to walk out of the room, but turned back to Frodo and said, "Frodo," Frodo looked at him in questions,

"Yes?"

"You love the Shire don't you?"

"Yes, very much so."

"But you don't want to go home?"

"No, that's not it. I feel that I no longer belong there." Eric nodded and then walked out.

He went down into the garden where Allison and Éomer were. They were talking quietly. He walked over and tapped Allison on the shoulder.

"We need to talk."

"Um, can I wait?" She asked, biting her lower lip. She was enjoying her conversation with Éomer.

"No." Allison sighed and he said, "Can we get a bit of lunch?" Allison sighed again and excused herself from Éomer.

"Eric, what is this about?" They walked to the mess-hall type area, where everyone was getting food. They saw Merry and Pippin and waved to them but sat alone.

"Are you in love with Éomer?"

"No. I have a crush on him, I guess. I'm not in love with him, no." Eric breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God! Is he in love with you?"

"Probably not."

"Ok, good." Eric seemed satisfied, and was quiet for a few moments, while Allison stared at him befuddled.

"What the hell are you on?" She asked, and he realized that it must have seemed rather random to be asking her that.

"Oh well, Frodo thinks that Éomer is in love with you."

"Ok. And?"

"And that's it. I was wondering if he was." Allison knew there was something more, but Eric wasn't telling. She decided not to press him right now. He seemed stressed.

"Ok. That's what you wanted to ask me?"

"Yes. But, I thought maybe we could talk for a little while. We haven't talked in a long time." 

"Yes, that's true. So how's Frodo doing?"

"He's depressed."

"Hm, that's right. He feels out of place and such, goes to the Havens later."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that."

"It's because you were hit one too many times in the head during football."

"Do you think there is anyway to prevent him from going there?"

"I still don't understand why you want to stop him."

"I don't know. I've grown to like the guy, I don't really want to see him walk to his death."

"I think you take this Haven's thing too, uh, morbidly."

"How so?"

"Well…" Allison thought for a few seconds, "It's not like he dies, foresay. He just, uh, well…" Allison huffed a little and then re-worded. "Not like he dies in a painful way."

"Oh, and that some how makes it so much better?"

"Ok, you've got me there. But you can't stop him. He's got to do it. It's just the way things are. Tolkien created a world, and an Age that all had to come to an end at some point. Frodo is just a part of that Age; his time is over. There should be no sorrow in that." Eric looked at her with a pitiful stubbornness. 

"But there is, there is sorrow in any death, whether it be rightful or not. I feel hopeless, but I know there is something I can do, I just know it." He was so determined that it almost broke Allison's heart to see it, and know that one person could not intervene into destiny. 

"Eric, you are denying the truth. You know as well as I do that we have no power here, that we can not change the course of fate. I could not save Boromir and you will not be able to save Frodo." Eric shook his head,

"I think you are wrong. I don't know why, but I do. I can just feel it. There is no explanation for it."

"So what? Going to give him some Prozac and move on?" Eric shrugged, but the perseverance on his face would not falter. Allison looked at him hopelessly. She could not reach him, and save him from a painful ending, when it came time for Frodo to pass into the Havens. She just shook her head and sighed. 

"Well, aside from that, how are things at the House of Healing?"

"Busy. I suppose we could use some more help." He said, not really trying to be sly or blatant in his insinuation.

"You know that I can't. I have other obligations." Allison said aloofly. Her eyes drew away slightly, but came back to his. 

"Like what? To Éomer?" Eric ask acidly. Allison shook her head frustrated, "Because I don't see you doing a whole hell of a lot of work. I do, however, see you with him a lot. Does he perhaps have some great knowledge of physics that you don't?" His voice was raised slightly and a few eyes wandered over to them.

"What are you accusing me of? Lying to you, lying to Aragorn and Gandalf? Hun Eric, because maybe you should come out and say it a little more clearly." Her voice was raised and stained with acridity. More and more eyes fell on the two as their conversation became more heated. But Eric did not back down.

"That you are weaseling you way out of work perhaps. Getting out to go

riding with Éomer, go spend time with him while I am left to do all the work." 

"I am doing my work. I am doing my work as I have always been doing my work, whether it be for the Warden or Aragorn." Allison's eyes narrowed slightly, as Eric laughed with frustration. 

"You know, I do not even know why were are still here. We could very well go home and you could do you 'theories' there. You do not need to stay here to do it."

"I made a promise to not leave until I have finished this theory." She lowered her voice in rancor. 

"I think you are hiding something from me." He said, as if reaching some sort of epiphany. "I think you are hiding something from me."

"You accuse me of lying? Lying to my best friend?" Allison was outraged "Do you think there is anything in this world that I would keep from you?" She pleaded slightly, though he could not see it through the bitterness in both of their eyes.

"Yes. I think you've fallen for that Éomer…and you plan to marry him." Allison's mouth opened but nothing came out. She was appalled and confused and abruptly stood up, looked down at him and said,

"I would never lie to you, and I do not keep things from you. I never have." Allison then walked out in hot anger, leaving the enter room staring in silence at Eric, who merely lay his head on the table with a thud.


	8. Questions that Can't be Answered

Questions that can't be Answered

Allison stormed out, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She walked quickly, trying to get back to her room inconspicuously. It was a failed attempt, as Éomer soon saw her. She tried to rush past him, but he caught her arm. 

"Lady, what is the matter?" Allison began to speak, and the tears began to flow freely down her face. 

"I…I cannot say." She did not try to get away, but merely looked up at him with a sorrowful face. His eyes scanned her face, and said nothing but took her hand and smiled. They stood there for a moment, neither saying anything. He brushed a tear from her cheek, bent down and gently kissed her forehead.

"I am rightly worried about Mr. Frodo." Sam was saying to Eric sometime later. "He has been acting might strangely, and I do not understand why."

"Yes, I know. I've noticed it to."

"I've gone to talk with him about it, but he will say nothing but in a round-about-way, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah. I tired to talk to him myself. He said that he doesn't have a purpose."

"No purpose! Why, he fulfilled his purpose! He should be able to just enjoy the rest of his days in the Shire."

"Yeah well, tell him that. He's not really having it. I tired to get him to find a 'purpose' in life, but I do not think he will accept any."

"He does have his notes and such to finish."

"And when those are done? What will he do next? I don't think he is happy just sitting around and doing nothing all day long." Sam thought for quite sometime about this, and after a while said.

"Well, I don't rightly know, Mr. Eric. Do you think the ring has finally taken it's toll on Mr. Frodo as well?"

"I don't think I'm quite the person to be answering that question, Sam."

A little bit later, Sam walked into Frodo's room, where he was indeed writing down his notes. 

"Mr. Frodo?" He asked tentatively. Frodo looked up, saw Sam and smiled. 

"Hullo, Sam." 

"Mr. Frodo, I have to ask you a question that's been bothering me for sometime now. And I don't know if you can answer it, but I suspect you'll do as best as you can."

"Go ahead, Sam."

"Do you think the ring has…changed you?" 

"Well, of course it has changed me Sam. Hasn't it changed you?" Sam shrugged in slight agreement.

"I suppose it has, Mr. Frodo. But I do feel mostly the same old Samwise Gamgee that I was before we set out on this little adventure. But you seem different." Frodo looked dejectedly at him. 

"Well you're right. I am different and I feel different. I feel a little lost, and a little like I've been out in the open for too long. But you've asked me this before, Sam."

"Yes, well, and you are giving me the same non-answer." Frodo sighed.

"I do not think I can really answer the question. I don't know the answer myself. It's just a feeling I have, there is no real explanation for it."

"Well, I think that perhaps once you are back in the Shire you will feel like your same old self." Sam said a little naively definite.

"I suppose so." Frodo said, though he didn't sound as though he agreed at all.


	9. Runaway!

Runaway!

Allison was still fuming in her room, pacing back and forth from the window to the door and from the door to the window again. She was due down to the Place of the Fountain in a little while to help with decorations for Arwen and Aragorn's wedding. Eric was going to be there, and she didn't know if she could see him without lashing out at him. She was actually waiting for Arwen to come and help her be fitted for a dress for the wedding. Her notebook lay on the white sheets of her bed, like a black hole burning its way into the center of the matters. Allison ignored it and turned away, pacing towards the window now. Soon there was a knock at the door and Allison rushed to open it, revealing Arwen. The two walked out and on their way to their destination were met by Éomer, who was really the last person in the world that Allison wanted to see right now aside from Eric. 

"Good afternoon ladies." He said cordially and smiled.

" Good afternoon Éomer." Arwen said politely. Allison just cast her eyes away and said.

"Afternoon." Éomer and Arwen then struck up a conversation about the wedding, about who was coming and how wonderful it was going to be. 

"Should you not be thinking about planning an even such as this for yourself promptly? Rohan will need a queen, when their king returns." Arwen said, and Allison's heart stopped. Eric's words began to block up any sense of logic that she once had. 

"Do you think I am not? For I surely am, looking for the right one in which to spend my life with." His eyes flicked to a horrified Allison, who had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming out. Her face contoured into that of total horror, to which Éomer noticed and said "Why, Lady Allison! You're looking absolutely stricken! What ever is the matter?" He asked

"Uh…I…" Allison tried to think of something to say but nothing sensible came out. "I'm just thinking…about…oh hell! Nevermind." She muttered and sighed. Éomer and Arwen both gave her a curious look, but she didn't noticed because at this point she was too mortally embarrassed to even look at them. Thankfully for Allison dignity (or what was left of it) Éomer left promptly. Arwen began to laugh delicately. 

"God, I made such and ass out of myself!" Allison said.

"I do think that you acted rather peculiar around him, though there may be a reason for it."

"If you are suggesting what I think you are, you're wrong." Arwen just smiled to herself and said,

"It's strange to think of such a harsh Lady being refined enough to the constraints of this world." Allison wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, but had a good idea and was right about to protest it when Merry came running up to them as fast as his little hobbit feet could carry him and cried,

"Frodo's missing!" 

A few minutes later the two reached Frodo's room where Sam was frantically running around. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and just a slew of other important people came rushing in as well. 

"Sam! Sam! Pull yourself together man!" Eric said as he shook Sam's shoulder.

"Oh he's gone Mr. Eric! He's gone and we can't find him!"

"Well, we haven't really looked yet." He said, picking up Sam and placing him on the bed. "Maybe he's locked in the closet, or under the bed. He's small you know, he could fit."

"Oh Eric, be sensible!" Pippin said angered. "This is not the time for jokes!"

"Sam, when was it last that you saw Frodo?" Aragorn asked.

"Well, about an hour or so ago. I was talking to him right in here. But I said I was hunger, for I was, and I left to get some lunch. I told Mr. Frodo that I'd be right back but when I came back here he wasn't." Sam then dissolved into tears, and Eric patted him on his back,

"We must search for him, he could not have gone far in a mere hour." Gandalf said mildly, but it was plain to all that he was worried. So everyone spilt up and went searching around Gondor for him. 

To make a long day's (and part way into the night) search short, no one in town could find any sign of Frodo, except that upon later inspection of his room, discovered that his bag and walking stick were gone. Sam was inconsolable. The wedding was held off until Frodo could be found.


	10. Unexpecting Outcomes

Unexpected Outcomes

There was an emergence type gathering in the great hall where upon the throne sat Aragorn, looking grievous but stern as the others sat around the hall. Allison sat on the floor with the three hobbits. Eric was discussing something with Prince Imrahil when Aragorn called order. It was then, before Aragorn or anyone else could say anything that Allison blurted out,

"The sea!" She then looked around, slightly embarrassed, for crying out. "I mean, Frodo said that he thought he had a calling to the sea. Maybe he ran to there…or to get there…or something." She said to try and explain herself better. 

"Do you know from your books?" Gandalf asked, and Allison shook her head.

"He told me. This didn't happen in the book."

"Then our actions should be to head towards the coast." Faramir said.

"But it is not so simple, dear Faramir. If he has not indeed taking this path then out time to find him will have been greatly delayed." Aragorn said.

"Perhaps we should diverge ourselves. To be able to cover more area, the halfling could not have gone far in such a short amount of time." Gimli said.

"It's been about 6 hours, he could have gotten pretty far by then. Aside from that, the more we sit around here and talk the more time he has to get away." Eric said frustrated.

"Get away? You make it appear as though he ran away." Legolas commented, "do you have reason for this?" Eric shrugged.

"Well he certainly isn't missing like a lost sock. It's not like one of us misplaced him. The only way he could have moved is if he moved himself or was kidnapped." 

"And I do believe the latter is not likely to have taken place." Gandalf said.

"I agree with Gimli, we must break apart, to cover more ground." Éomer said.

"It's is decided then, but to where will each of us go?"

"There is only one path from here to the Sea. The others should search the area around Minas Trith, for he may not have strayed to very far." Prince Imrahil said. 

It was then decided to have three groups, two to search around Gondor and one large group to head off to the Sea. Prince Imrahil would lead the group to the Sea (since Dol Amroth was a coastal city), and with him would go Legolas, Gimli, Elrond's twins and a few other elves and men of Rohan. The two groups to search around Gondor was just basically everyone who wasn't going to Dol Amroth with the Prince. Aragorn had tried to get Allison to not help in the search, but she flat out refused.

"I don't understand, just because I'm a chick I don't get to do anything!" Allison said grumbling. 

There was a few who were going to scan around Pelennor and such. It was early the next morning when they mounted atop some horses (courtesy of Rohan and Éomer). Allison forced herself to go along with them, trying to get away from Eric (for they were still not talking) but it was in vain because Aragorn assigned him to go along with her group anyways. 

Allison was mounted on a large mare, with Pippin seated in front of her. They rode for several hours, and it was beginning to grow dark. They decided to stop and rest for a little bit before continuing on. Allison stretched in her saddle. 

"My butt's gone numb." She said to herself, but Pippin heard it and turned to her and gave a strange look.

"What's that now?" 

"My butt's numb from sitting in this saddle for so blasted long." Pippin accepted this and said,

"Yes, well I'm hungry."

"Oh, you're always hungry. What's new?"

"But we haven't eaten in a long while now and I am beginning to feel faint." He said mockingly looking faint.

"Well, I don't have anything to eat. You'll have to go to Éomer about that one."

"But how can I go anywhere when you're guiding the horse?" He asked and Allison laughed.

"Oh yes, sorry about that." She dismounted and helped Pippin get down as he ran off to find Éomer. Allison began to walk her horse around so that she could move her legs. 

"So what do you think about all of this?" Eric asked waking up to her on his horse. Merry sat in front of him.

"What do you mean? I'm worried, obviously." She said not looking at him

"But if you say that this will have the same ending as the story then shouldn't you not be worried because he will be found eventually."

"I never anticipated this. Nothing ever strayed so far from the book as this…" She finally looked at him, but it was forced. Like their whole conversation was forced. It was then that Éomer approached them.

"I do not think that we are going to discover anything."

"We can't just give up now!" Merry cried.

"I never said we were giving up, but I have doubts about the fruits of our labors out here."

"I agree. I do think out best bet is in the Prince's group." Allison said. "I really doubt that is Frodo were to run away that he would just hide out in the fields around here." Pippin then came running up, huffing a little, he wasn't much used to running.

"Oh Éomer! I left to go look for you and then run around the whole place to only discover that you're back where I started!" he said trying to catch his breath.

"Well, hullo Pippin. What can I do for you now?" Éomer asked.

"Do you, by any chance, have any food on you? I'm terrible hungry."

"Unfortunately, no. I do believe that everyone shares your pains of hunger though." Pippin was a little disappointed and said nothing more. Aragorn then came up to the group and said,

"I think we should continue to search until there is no more light and then retire for the night."

"But what about tomorrow? What are we to do then?" Merry asked

"I think it is best if we take things one day at a time. Tomorrow is a long time away." Merry nodded and Eric rode off, leaving Allison, Éomer and Aragorn. 

"Do you think we'll find Frodo?" Allison asked, and Aragorn sighed but only answered,

"I have no thoughts upon our search, only feelings. But my feelings are dark and grievous, so I will not share them." Allison nodded, pressing her lips together slightly.

"How long will it take the Prince to get to the coast?"

"A few days, we will not know of their labors until they return. And how long that will be, I cannot know and will not speculate." Allison nodded again, and Aragorn then walked away when called over by Faramir. Éomer looked down at Allison who was watching Aragorn walk away.

"What are your thoughts, Lady Allison?"

"I think he's going towards the sea." She said, finally looking at him. 

"Then our efforts here are in vain?"

"Yeah, but it makes us feel like we are doing something important. So in that sense it has its purpose." 

"A wise thought. One that I would think could only come from one of noble blood." Allison shrugged.

"Not that wise."

"I find it difficult to accept the fact that you are not from this world, Lady. To think one day you did not reside here and one day you will not reside here again. I think you belong here, that you were meant to be here. I do not know of your feelings wholly, but I get a feeling that you know you belong here as well." Allison didn't say anything, but cast her eyes down. She began to walk her horse away slightly as she saw Eric in the vicinity. Éomer followed.

"I do not want to accept that you are not from this world."

"Why not?" they stopped walking

"Because that would mean accepting that you will have to leave." The sun was setting slowly, casting a golden orange glow upon the field. He put a rough hand to her cheek and she smiled a little and then he kissed her softly, and when he pulled away and had walked away, Allison was trying to pull her emotions together. 

"Oh I hope Eric didn't see that." She said to herself and looked around for him, and caught him scowling at her. She sighed and remounted her horse.

"Dammit." She muttered and began to look for Pippin.


	11. Bars and Cheese

Girl's Night

As expected, Aragorn called off the search for the most part the next day, the day that should have been the day before his wedding. It was bittersweet when jovial guests arrived to only be told that the wedding was called off until Frodo was found. So guests of all kinds were swarming around Gondor. Allison was forced to share a room with Éowyn and an elven girl who was somehow related to Arwen in one way or another. Her name was Laura. Allison was showing Laura around Gondor a little, explaining who she was along the way. Laura was young (in elven terms that is) cheerful and very knowledgeable in many aspects of Middle-Earthen knowledge. She was a basic equivalent in age to Allison. Allison took her into the bar that she usually went to which was almost solely frequented by men, and Laura was a little shocked when she walked in.

"We cannot be here!" She said in a delicate gasp.

"Why not? I come here all the time." Allison led Laura to a table where Merry, Pippin and Sam were drowning their sorrows in beer. 

"But we are ladies…" She said as she sat down, a look of disbelief on her face.

"Ladies smadies." Allison ordered some water and bread. She looked sympathetically at the hobbits.

"Oh, you poor guys. Don't worry, they'll find Frodo."

"Oh but I cannot help myself to worry." Sam said, "All I do all day is worry and all night I worry and I wonder if I'll never see Mr. Frodo again!"

"Me too. I just don't understand why he would run away like that." Merry said.

"Well, I suppose sometimes we need to get away from what overshadows us. But he'll turn up…"

"You say it as if he were a missing plate of cheese." Pippin said, and Laura giggled.

"Of all the things to go missing, a plate of cheese?" She asked Allison who shrugged.

"So, were are you from anyways?"

"The forests of Lothlórien."

"Ah, explains the blonde hair. I guess it was either from there or Mirkwood."

"Mirkwood? How do you know of Mirkwood?" She asked

"Uh, well I'm friends with Legolas because he…" Allison was interrupted by a little gasp and a blushing smile. "and I'm guessing you know Legolas."

"Oh yes, well…he is the prince of Mirkwood and…I've had the pleasure of meeting him before." It was blatant that Laura had feelings for Legolas, and Allison couldn't blame her, he was a rather sexy elf. 

A few minutes later Eric walked in, and when Allison and he spotted each other, both scowled.

"Come on lets get out of here." She said to Laura and began to get up. 

"Are you coming to dinner tonight?" Pippin asked, referring to the fact that the fellowship and a bunch of other important people all ate dinner in the Tower. 

"I suppose so." She said and led Laura out of the bar. They passed Eric and neither made eye contact. 

"Is Legolas here?" Laura asked when they were out on to the city streets again. 

"No, he's with Prince Imrahil going to Dol Amroth to look for Frodo."

"Is he the missing halfling?"

"Yes." Allison tried not to think about that too much, it was too depressing


	12. Daggers and Rivers

Daggers, and Rivers

A/N: it's time to remind folks that I –obviously-don't own any of the LOTR characters, only my own, like Allison, Eric, Laura and Charlie

Also, I must thank Howard Shore for just writing all of the songs on the LOTR soundtrack, because they re-inspired me when I was having writer's block!!

PS. All of the spoilers are now over, you may open your eyes now.

Frodo had been walking almost nonstop for 3 days now. He didn't look back, but didn't know what he was going forward into. He never stopped to think about what he was doing, but kept walking. He was heading towards the coast of Dol Amroth, though he didn't know it. There was just something inside of him that was telling him where to go.

In the morning of the 4th day away from Gondor, Frodo stopped. He stopped by a small river to rest a little. As he sat there, trying to remember what he was doing away from home, there was a nosie; Frodo turned around to see where it came from. He saw nothing, but field and swaying flowers. He gave one more look about before turning his attention back to the river. But again, he heard a noise; it was something like the rustling of plants mixed with laughter. Frodo, again, turned to see who, or what, was making the noise. Though this time there was a man standing where once had just been field. Frodo yelped and jumped up in fright and as he reached for Sting he found that it was not at his side. The man laughed a jolly laugh, eyes twinkling. 

"Who are you?" Frodo asked, still in defensive mode. The man stopped his chuckles and smiled.

"Charlie, young halfling. May I ask who you are?" Frodo found it hard to keep being suspicious when Charlie was such a jovial fellow.

"Frodo. Frodo Baggins." 

"Ah, Frodo! The hobbit who saved us from the Dark Lord! It's a honor to met you." Charlie bowed clumsily taking off a floppy green hat from his head.

"May I ask who you are, outside of your name?"

"Of course! Though I will not give you an answer." Charlie smiled, but said nothing more. Frodo was confused a bit by this, but before he could respond Charlie announced, "But I am sure you are famished, and I have sustenance, and I image you would like to partake in them." Frodo had forgotten how hungry he was until the mention of food, and it actually had been several days since he had last eaten. The two sat down by the river and began to eat. 

"Ahhhhhh!" Allison screamed bloody murder, clutched her hand and began to jump up and down. Faramir, who happened to be walking, by raced into Frodo's room, which is where Allison was, to see what was wrong. He saw her, still gripping her hand, as blood streamed down her arm. Faramir restrained her, 

"What is wrong, Lady?" He asked 

"I sliced my hand open on something…can't you tell by the blood everywhere?" Allison asked rashly, since it seemed rather self-evident to her what was going on. 

"Let me see," he asked and tenderly took her hand to examine the wound. He nodded, and then helped her to get the Warden of the House of Healing.

After about 15 minutes, Allison had calmed down, and her hand was bandaged Faramir tried to find out exactly what happened.

"Well, I was cleaning Frodo's room because I've been re-recruited into working in the House of Healing, when I was making his bed something cut my hand. I think it was his dagger." Faramir got a look of pension on his face,

"His dagger you say?"

"Yes…"

"Perhaps it would be best if I took a look." So Faramir, followed by Allison, re-entered Frodo's room and Faramir carefully looked through the sheets of his bed and, as expected, found Sting. Faramir went to find Aragorn, and Allison was given the day off since her hand hurt too much to do any more work. 

As she left the House, she found Laura painting in the Gardens. 

"Hello," Allison said walking up to her,

"Oh dear, what happened?" Laura asked putting down her paintbrush looking at her hand.

"I got cut by Frodo's stupid dagger. He must have left it here before he…." Allison stopped, and Laura understood what she meant. 

"They'll find him, do not worry yourself. I have faith in Prince Imrahil."

"And Legolas." Allison said winking, and Laura giggled a little embarrassed,

"Hum, yes." She said smiling and turned back to her painting. Allison looked over her shoulder to see what it was that the elf-girl was creating. "It's the Misty Mountains. I saw the dwarf and was reminded of them." Allison gave a silent 'ah', still too amazed by the sheer beauty of the painting. It looked different, then those painting she had seen from Earth, for the paint wasn't oil or water-based it was something else. Something that made the colors so vibrant and alive, Allison thought it looked more like a photograph then a painting. While she admired Laura's work, there came a sudden crash, and the easel, as well as the canvas, went flying through the air and landed with a delicate crash to the ground. The two, startled, looked to see who caused the collision and saw none but Sam, looking ashamed and guilty standing in front of them. 

"Sam! What are you doing?" Allison cried, waving her hands about, but then winced from the sharp pain movement caused. 

"Oh well, I was trying to chase after this here dog…" Allison and Laura both looked around and saw a small puppy sitting on his hunches, tongue lolled to the side, staring playfully at the three. "But he escaped me and I ran after him, but I suppose I wasn't looking at where I was going, and ran into the Lady's painting." Sam then, as if re-realizing what he had knocked over, quickly began to pick up the aftermath of the impact, but Laura stopped him and did it herself.

"I'm ever so sorry! I was not watching where I was going! And ever since Frodo…"

"What were you doing with a dog anyhow?" Allison asked interrupting.

"Oh! You see, I do not know. I was trying to capture him to find out myself." Allison walked over to the dog and stooped beside him. 

"Hmm, he's not wearing a collar. I should take him to Aragorn, or Faramir." Allison then reached over to pick up the dog, but realized that she couldn't grasp anything with her right hand so she stopped and called over Sam to do it. 

They found Aragorn, Faramir and Gandalf all discussing something, which seemed to be of great importance so Allison and Sam stopped and turned to each other.

"I suppose we should come back a little later then?" Sam asked and Allison nodded. But as they were turning around, the puppy began to squirm and struggle and Sam, with his short arms, could not contain the living mass of energy and the puppy leaped out and ran into the hall were the three discussed. Allison slapped her forehead with her right hand, but then winced at the pain forgetfulness will bring. Aragorn looked down at the puppy, jumping up on his leg, and then looked to Sam and Allison sheepishly trying to appear as if they were not involved, and then looked back at the puppy. 

"I will assume that this is one of yours?" Aragorn said, picking up the dog and walking over to the two.

"Well, actually no. I found him, and didn't know who he belonged to, so Allison thought we should ask you about it because you might know it's owner…." Sam said embarrassed. Aragorn re-examined the dog.

"No, I do not know who might own this dog. Though it can not be difficult to discover who it is. Will one of you keep him until we can unearth his owner?" Sam nodded and took the puppy back into his arms. They began to walk away when Gandalf called,

"Wait, let me see the dog." Sam walked back to the white wizard, and when then studied the puppy all over, while Faramir, glancing at the dog, noticed his eyes

"Hmm, green eyes. So unusual for a dog to have eyes of such pigment." Gandalf, upon hearing this, immediately looked in the dog's eyes. A look of pension crossed his face, but he said nothing and allowed Allison and Sam to continue on their way. 

"Well that was mighty odd." Sam said once out of earshot.

"Yeah, it was. Who cares that the dog has green eyes? Big fat hairy deal." Allison said. "Oh well, he's Gandalf and he's always right so why question him?" Sam nodded in agreement.

"So, Frodo Baggins, for what reason do you run away?" Charlie asked as night fell upon the two. 

"Run away? I do not run away." Frodo said as if the thought could not have ever crossed his mind.

"Did you tell anyone you were leaving?"

"No."

"Did you sneak away in the night?"

"Well, it was actually in the day."

"But you snuck away?"

"Yes, I suppose you could call it that."

"Did you pack your belongings as if you weren't going to return?"

"Yes…I suppose I did." Frodo looked confused, not so much by Charlie, but more by what he himself was doing. 

"Well, that's what we call 'running away' in my land." 

"I suppose I am running away." Frodo said slowly, casting his eyes away in confusion

"For what reason, young Hobbit?"

"I do not know." Frodo said, looking back at Charlie. "I am just listening to whatever tells me where I need to go." 

"Ah. Listening to your heart, a smart fellow. But what is it that your heart is telling you to do?"

"I do not know." 

"A bit confused, yes, but truthful nonetheless. Admirable." Charlie said nodding to himself. "Do you even know in which way you are heading?"

"No, actually I do not."

"Well, you're going towards Dol Amroth." 

"Hmm, well I do not think I want to go there." Frodo said.

"Why not? It's a pleasant city. Right by the sea."

"The sea…" Frodo said, eyes drifting off a little, "It is the sea, which I long to go."


	13. Physics, Puppies, and Pippin

Physics, Puppy Dogs and Pippin

"_Up on the roof_…" Allison sang as she washed some windows in the House of Healing on the top floor.

"_When this old world starts getting me down, and people are just too much for me to fair, I climb way up to the top of the stairs and all of my cares just right into space. On the roof, it's peaceful as can be, and there the world below can't bother me!_

When I come home feeling tired and beat, I go up where the air is fresh and sweet…up on the roof…" She wasn't doing a very good job, since her right hand was still incapacitated and she wasn't ever very coordinated with her left. Every so often the sponge would come tumbling out of her hand and land with a soapy thud on the floor. Allison would grumble and pick it up to only have it follow the same routine a few minutes later. 

"Blasted dang-nabbed sponge! You vile, evil, dirt-ridden fool! Why can you not just stay in my hand! (However weak and clumsy it may be)" Allison cried as it fell from her hands for the 20,000th time. 

"You are not going very quickly, Lady." Éomer said walking into the room Allison was working in.

"Well, sheesh, what do you expect? I've only got one hand to work with! Aside from that, it's not my dominant hand…"

"In battle, a warrior will do what he must to defend his land and people. No matter what injuries he has sustained."

"I'm just washing windows! Not fighting a war." 

"Nonetheless, the way one reacts to situations, no matter how trivial, reflections upon how one will act when priority is life and death." Allison turned to him confused,

"But they are just windows!" Allison, futility in her tone.

"Yes, just windows," Éomer said musing. 

"Aside from that, you said I wasn't working quickly, not that I wasn't doing a good job." Allison said matter-o-factly, beside the fact that her washing of windows wasn't up to par. 

"Yes, but that can be overridden. For in haste, we often commit our most grievous errors."

"Well, I don't think I have to worry about that. I won't be moving the speed of light anytime…." Suddenly Allison dropped the sponge to the floor. A look of astonishment crossed her face slowly, and then exploded as she cried in excitement. "That's it! The speed of light!" Allison then ran past Éomer and out the door. He turned after her and called,

"Where are you off to?"

"I've got to find Gandalf!" 

A few minutes later, as she dashed down stairs, through halls, out and into doors and corridors, she finally found Gandalf.

"What is your haste, Lady?" he asked, looking in puzzlement at her soapy, wet left hand and disheveled hair. 

"I've got it! I've finally got it! After all of these weeks of pondering, and thinking and wondering I've finally got it!" 

"Got what? You have a great tendency to rush into things without telling others what you…."

"Why! Why our times are different!" Allison then looked about the room, searching for something. "Do you have any paper?" Gandalf nodded, and stood up to get her some paper and a writing utensil. It was a quill, and Allison fumbled with how to use it a bit. Finally she drew a picture (Not a very good picture, I might add.) of two worlds and a line connecting them. 

"This is Earth," she then appropriately marked one as 'Earth' and continued, "This is Middle-Earth," She did likewise for the second planet. "Now, it has been assumed, and actually proven by many a physicist that if someone can go faster then the speed of light, then they would be going faster then the world is moving and be in the future. It would only be by a few seconds, but nonetheless. Now, theoretically, if one could move so much faster then the speed of light then they could travel far into the future, as in years and years into the future.

"Now how is all relates, I'm coming to. OK, so lets say that we ended up on Middle-Earth—which we did—and that Middle-Earth was very far away from Earth in some kind of cosmic dimension mobile. So then, even if we are going at the same axis rotation, and whatever, since we are just closer the core of the mobile, time here will go by faster, relative to Earth." Allison smiled at her scribbled on the paper, proud of her accomplishment, and Gandalf was as well, but did not show it as readily. "OK, that's it. I'm done."

"You have not yet explained your connection between the two ideas."

"Oh…" Allison looked a little crestfallen, but tried to think of the answer. "Well, if say, this planet were traveling at the speed of light, or a whole lot faster, then while it seems like we are going at the same speed when we are really going a whole lot faster. So what seems to be a few months for us here, when we go home, we will find time to be different"

"Why is that?" He asked, even though he knew the answer, to make sure Allison understood every aspect of her idea. It wasn't that Allison was good in her explanation of it, it was that Gandalf had a solid understanding of what she was talking about before she even said anything. 

"Just because each planet moves at a different rate though the weavings of space and time. Which, by the way, I figure must have more dimensions than just four. Ha, prove you wrong Einstein!" Gandalf nodded approvingly. 

"Yes, that is as I suspected it." He smiled a bit, and Allison beamed at his approval. "You are going to have to refine your explanation a bit when you deliver it again."

"Again? For who?" She asked a bit surprised. 

"For those who you were pondering the answer for." Allison nodded and walked out, bouncing a little as if a great burden had been lifted off her shoulder. 

"Ah, now I can go home." She said to herself, but then frowned, "yet the question still remains of whether I want to go home or not." 

Pippin was forced to look after the puppy, who Sam named Ed. It was a rather complicated event into why Pippin was forced to take care of Ed. It all started when Legolas came back to Gondor.

Laura was walking through town and when she passed the gate she saw out of the corner of her eye, Legolas riding in unaccompanied. He dismounted, handed his horse to the man at the gate and walked in, with a little bit of haste. Laura quickly brushed back her hair a little, and smiled. 

"Good Morrow, Lady." Legolas said curtly; Laura smiled and blushed.

"Good Morrow." She said and dashed off with as much lady-like ability as she could. She bumped into Allison who was still talking to herself about staying or going.

"Legolas came back." Laura blurted out.

"What?!" Allison asked startled. 

"Legolas came back."

"Uh…why?"

"I don't know, I just saw him walking through the gates."

"Oh, this can't be good." Allison then rushed back to where she had come from to tell Gandalf. 

Eventually, her and Gandalf ended up in the Courts, where Legolas was explaining to Aragorn why he came back to the White City.

To make a long story short, they had been following Frodo's trail for some time, and then when they reached the river of Erui they had lost all sign of Frodo. They assumed that he had somehow managed to travel down the river, and the only way one could do that was if he had met up with someone else who could provide transportation down the river. 

So while all of the important men talked about who Frodo could have met up with, Gandalf seemed quite and did not add to the discussion any. Allison thought this was strange, but did not say so, because she didn't say anything but merely sat listening. 

After a long time, Allison grew weary of their talks and left. Legolas left as well, since he was tired from riding so swiftly to get back to Gondor. The two were walking out together when Sam and Laura met them. Sam still had the puppy and Laura's eyes lit up when she saw Legolas. 

"Good Evening, Sam, Lady Laura." Laura smiled and nodded, and Sam asked

"What news do you bring of Frodo?" 

"We had been tracking his flight, but it was lost in the river Erui. He must have meet up with someone and begun to travel down the river with him."

"Who?"

"That I cannot tell you. Though I wish I could." Legolas sighed deeply, and Sam's sad eyes made Allison want to cry. 

"You must be weary from your travels. Will you not rest awhile?" Laura said

"Yes, indeed. But I must leave again tomorrow morning, after the council has decided what to do."

"What to do? Why aren't you going to trivial down the river after him?" Sam asked as if nothing else seemed to make any sense to him.

"What are we going to travel on? We have no boats in which to ride in, and the river diverges so we cannot follow it down to the Bay Belfalas."

"Are you just going to…give up?" Sam asked as if it was a foreign idea to him. 

"No, we will not give up our search for him as long as we can, but you must understand that there come a point in time when there is nothing more to be done." Sam shook his head as if to shake the idea right out of it. 

"Oh Legolas! You must take me with you when you go back! I cannot stand waiting here doing nothing, knowing that Mr. Frodo is out there without me. Even if I am no help, I still want to feel like I am helping to find Frodo, if you see what I am saying."

"I do Sam. And if it were up to me, I would bring you with me."

In anycase, Sam ended up going with Legolas the next morning, after the council decided that the group should follow the path down the river until it came to the Mouths of Anduin. And when Sam left, Ed was left without a foster owner. Allison could not care for the puppy, with only one working hand and so Pippin was announced to be its new caretaker.

"I do not think I can care for this dog all on my own." Pippin complained as Allison handed Ed off to him,

"Well, you have Merry to help you." Allison said, beginning to walk away, but Pippin chased after her. 

"Yes but you see, puppies eat a lot, and I can bearly feed myself enough."

"Oh well, you eat too much anyways. Aside from that you aren't doing very much around here 'cept drinking and eating, and I know that can't be good for your health." Pippin sighed exasperated, and was jerked every so often by the eager puppy, as Pippin followed on Allison's heels. 

"But I do not know the first thing about caring for a dog."

"It's not that difficult, feed it every now and then, walk it and play with it."

"But…but."

"Oh Pippin, for the love of all things holy, will you give it a rest?" Allison said at wit's end. 

"But…" Allison gave him "Asian Eyes" and he turned away despondent and grumbling. Allison shook her head and laughed a little at Pippin's antics. She then continued on her way to Eric's room. 

But poor Pippin, he really didn't have the slightest idea on how to care for another living creature, and helplessly walked back towards his room, Ed dragging him in every which way, but the direction to his room. Pippin struggled to keep him under control, but the puppy was just too much for him, and after 10 minutes of struggle, Ed took off, dragging the poor hobbit behind him. 

"Ed! You blasted dog! Curse you Samwise!" Pippin hollered as he was dragged along the ground. Unfortunately, it was a good 15 minutes of Ed racing around Gondor before someone stopped the dog. Pippin stood up, and examined his cuts and bruises and looked to thank whoever it was who stopped the dog. It was Allison, shaking her head.

"Well, I told you I couldn't take care of him." Pippin said matter-o-factly, blood from a small scrap dripping down his cheek. Allison just sighed,

"Oh well, let's get you to the House of Healing to clean those cuts." Allison said, and began to walk off in that direction, Ed in arms. Pippin followed, legs trying to keep up with Allison's quick pace. "You aren't too badly hurt, I hope." 

"No, not too terrible. Though that dog did take me for a run." 

"Yes, well let's hope you have better luck controlling him tomorrow." Pippin's mouth fell open in surprise, but said nothing and sulked. 

Later that evening, Allison tentatively knocked on Eric's door. He opened it and chagrinned when he saw her.

"Oh, it's you." 

"Oh gee, thanks." Allison said and pushed her way through; Eric looked at her annoyed but said nothing and closed the door. "We are going to settle this stupid argument once and for all. I can't keep being mad at you when there is more important stuff to be worrying about." Eric sighed, knowing whatever wall he had built out of anger needed to be taken down. 

"I agree. Truce?" 

"Truce." Allison said and they shook hands and hugged. Allison then handed him her notes on her idea about the speed of light. He looked at them, confused.

"What's this?" He said reading it over.

"It's what I had been trying to figure out all along. It's the reason why our times are different and proving that our universe is made up of varying dimensions." Eric shook his head,

"This is Greek to me." 

"There is going to be a conference, just come to that and it will all make sense. But for now, all I want you to do is just to copy it into the notebook." 

"Ok." Eric slipped the paper into the notebook, and Allison started to walk out, when he called after her,

"Is it true, about what Frodo said about Éomer?" Allison turned back, and shrugged.

"I don't know. Probably not."

"Yeah, it would seem stupid for him to fall in love with someone whose isn't going to be staying in this world forever." Allison just smiled a little and said nothing more but walked out. 


	14. Losing Yourself

Losing Yourself

A/N: I know my chapters have become increasingly long, but I need to cover 2 different stories, so it takes more to get through a whole idea. Just bear with me, they'll shorten soon

A/NII: Who though LOTR got TOTALLY screwed at the Oscars? I did, but I bet the Academy is waiting out, for Return of the King.

Pippin mopped around Gondor, Ed dragging him along the street and through crowds of people. He was starting to get used to the dog pulling him wherever, though Pippin's right arm hurt quite a bit from the strain. Finally, he managed to sit down, and rest his arm. Ed curled up by his legs.

"Oh finally you've spent your energy! I didn't think you'd ever stop running about." Pippin sighed and pulled some cheese from his pocket and began to nibble away at it. Unfortunately, he unknowingly dropped the leash as he did so.

"Oh, hullo Pip!" Merry said walking up to Pippin. Ed sprang to his feet and ran at Merry, who unconsciously pat him on the head. "What are you eating there?"

"A bit of cheese." He said and then added, "the dog is really giving me a hard time, he's always run here or there, never in one place. I'm exhausted, and I've only had him for a few hours!" Merry laughed and sat down next to his friend. 

"Are you going to the conference, then?" Merry asked. Pippin shrugged.

"Do they have food?"

"Probably not." 

"Oh, never mind, then." 

"Come on, it should be interesting." Pippin sighed,

"Alright, I'll go." 

"Good," Merry said grinning

"But, we'll have to a bit to eat first."

Yet, unbeknownst to Merry and Pippin, while the two chatted, Ed slowly wandered away from him and soon enough to gallivanting around town, much as Sam had found him before. 

* * *

Charlie slowly moved the boat along the river, while Frodo sat emotionless inside. 

"What will you do when you get to the sea?" Charlie asked Frodo, 

"I don't know, to be honest. I suppose I find out when I get there." Charlie nodded, but pressed on,

"Ever heard of the Grey Havens?"

"Why yes. Isn't that where the elves go to die?"

"Something like that, yes. It is where the Elder's live, with Círdan the Shipwright."

"Oh…" Frodo seemed confused as to why Charlie brought this up. Charlie though, said nothing more on the subject and continued down the river. 

About an hour later, they stopped along the shore to rest for the night. 

"Where do you come from, Charlie?" Charlie smiled, and shrugged.

"Everywhere, I don't really have a home, I move and wander. I've been all over Middle Earth, slept in castles and in caves. Any reason, lad?"

"Well, yes. You remind me of two travelers who are staying in Gondor now. Ones that are from another world."

"Ah, yes. I heard of them. From a place called Earth, yes?"

"Yes. What do you know of them?"

"Only what I heard from Gandalf." At this Charlie slapped his forehead, "opps." He muttered.

"You know Gandalf? How?" Frodo as astonished.

"We are old friends, from long ago." Charlie took off his green hat and used it as a pillow when he lied down, "Old friends from long ago." Frodo looked wistfully at him, and asked,

"So what do you think of the travelers."

"Mighty strange, I must say. I've heard of that sort of thing in folklore, though I always thought it was just a tale." 

"Really? I've never heard anything about it before." 

"Hmm, oh well that was long time ago. I don't imagine they keep those old stories around anymore, especially since no one used to believe them. But, nothing much will come of this either. People like to hear a hero's tales, not a traveler's log."

"But what the Lady has said will revolutionize our world, and science."

"You forget, Frodo, we are not men of science, we are men of history. We know nothing of why our world works, and have no need to find out. We only move forward in time, not trying to understand why we do so, only that we have to." 

"To think, I do not even know what has happened to them. Perhaps they have both gone home now, without my even saying good bye." Frodo's eyes cast down slightly. "Perhaps Aragorn and Lady Arwen have already wed, and I was not there. I never said good bye, not even to Pippin, Merry and Sam." Charlie looked as though he was surprised or perhaps understanding in this regard. But he was not; he was just saddened by Frodo's actions and his confusion. Charlie understood why Frodo ran, but did not know when the proper time was to tell him about it.

"When I got the ring, and I was told what I had to do, I always thought that one day I would see home again, that I would move back to the Shire and grow old like Bilbo. But that hasn't happened, and I don't think it can ever happen."

"Do you want it to?"

"I don't know." Frodo said, and then was quite for the rest of the night. 

* * *

"Oh no!" Pippin cried jumping up from where he and Merry sat. "Where is Ed?" He said looking around frantically for the dog.

"I don't know, he was just…" Merry looked at where Ed had just been but saw nothing there. "Oh no!" With that the two hobbits raced off to search around Gondor for the lost dog. 

* * *

"How do things fare?" Legolas asked upon meeting up with the search group.

"Not well, not well. What news do you bring from the King?" the Prince asked.

"He instructed us to continue on our way until the Mouths of Anduin and then to return, if there is no sign of him." The Prince nodded, pressing his lips together slightly, and then turned back to the group. Sam rode in front of Legolas, and gave him a despondent gaze.

"Do not fret yet, Sam, for there is still time, and there is still yet hope." 

* * *

"I do believe we are being followed." Charlie said as they continued down the river. 

"Followed? By who?" Frodo asked getting dragged out of a trance.

"Well, I don't know exactly, but I would guess it is your friends from Gondor." Frodo turned behind him as if they were close enough to see, and Charlie gazed down at the hobbit's face to see his reaction

"Why would they follow after me?"

"What do you think most people do when their friend has run away?"

"They want to take me home…"

"Do you object to this?"

"It's is no longer my home…" Frodo turned back around and stared ahead of him, at the endless flow of water before him. 

"How far away are they?"

"Oh at least 2 days behind."

"Then how do you know…" Frodo looked up at Charlie, who just shrugged.

"If you would really like to get away from them, we can turn and move up stream…" Frodo sighed deeply,

"I do not know any longer what I want." Charlie smiled a bit, but bite his lip to hide it. He saw Frodo's wall cracking, and aimed to get it to crumble completely. 

* * *

Allison paced her room back and forth, holding a few papers in her hand. She muttered to herself, memorized lines and calculations she would be explaining for the conference later that day. As she paced, there came a knock at the door, and she opened it, reveling Laura.

"There is a problem."

"Oh, what more can go wrong?"

"Ed is missing…"

"Oh for heaven's sake! Blast that Pippin, he would lose his own head if it weren't screwed on to his shoulders!" Allison stormed out of the room, Laura following after her, to find Pippin. 

When she did, the first thing she said to him was,

"What kind of a caretaker are you?"

"I'm not! I told you I couldn't do this!" Pippin cried haplessly. Allison sighed, but her anger dissolved into pity, looking at poor Pippin and Merry searching desperately for the dog. She bite back any further anger that might arise and said, exasperated,

"Where did you last see him?" The two hobbits told her, and Allison and Laura were about to join the search for Ed when a messenger of Rohan approached them.

"Lady Allison?" 

"Yes?"

"King Éomer wishes to meet with you." Allison and Laura exchanged looks of confusion, and Allison shrugged.

"Ok, when?"

"Immediately."

"Oh, ok." Allison followed the messenger into the Court and into a small room within it. He opened the door for her, and closed it after. Allison walked in and saw Éomer sitting in a plush chair. Allison didn't walk any farther in.

"You wanted to see me?" He smiled, nodded and motioned for her to sit down. She did so, 

"I hear that you have discovered what you set out to discover, did you not?"

"I did."

"So, is you stay in Middle-Earth complete?"

"I suppose so."

"Are you to part with us soon, then?"

"No, not until they find Frodo, and Aragorn and Arwen have their wedding." 

"And then…"

"And then…I don't know. I suppose I'll go home." Allison sounded lost and unsure, "I hadn't given it much thought."

"Or perhaps your thoughts leaned towards an option you feel is impossible."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I speak of." Of course, Allison did, and she cast her eyes down to her hand wrapped still in the bandaged. 

"I want to stay, I really do. I love it here, and I love everyone here. But even if I don't feel it, I belong at home. I have no place here." She said quietly. 

"But what if your home, was really meant to be here. You spoke so much about independent destinies, yet did you ever consider that perhaps two destinies could cross and have their meeting be fated as well."

"If you mean what I think you mean…"

"Lady, I think you understand my feelings for you. I do not wish you to leave, and if you stay you will have a place to reside. In Rohan, beside me." Allison looked up at Éomer, his eyes sincere and beautifully clear. Allison couldn't articulate words for a few moments, and he took her hand and said,

"I know your heart, and I know what your desired answer is. I also know that you have feelings and obligations that keep you from answering."

"So what do you want me to do?" Allison asked meekly.

"I wish for whatever you wish to do, and nothing more." Allison gripped his hand,

"I want to stay with you, I really do, but I can't…I just can't. You must understand that?"

"I do. I only want what you want." Éomer said, and the two stayed in the room for the remainder of the evening. 


	15. The Middle of the End

Beginning of the End

"Frodo, I think it's time we had a talk." Charlie said one night, as the two rested at their makeshift camp. "There are several things that need to be addressed. First, we need to decided where to go next, I have a feeling that your friends from Gondor will be encroaching on us soon." 

"And you are asking if I want to meet them or runaway?" 

"Well, I suppose in short, yes." Frodo, leaned back against a tree along side the riverbank and thought. It was several minutes before he responded again. 

"What do you think is best?"

"I give no advice when it come to matters of the heart, this is a demon you will have to conquer on your own." Frodo thought again for some time, and said,

"I believe that this is an issue that cannot be decided in a matter of minutes, but one that I will have to consider for some time."

"Very well, I will not be going anywhere." But Charlie stood up and turned to the setting sun and the river to conceal his smile. 

"I found this trampling our flowers in the garden…" A groundkeeper said with distain to Gandalf, Ed held by the scruff of his neck in the groundkeeper's hands. Gandalf chuckled slightly, and apologized to the groundkeeper before taking Ed into his own hands and walking off.

"Oh my dear dog, what are we to do with you?" He said to the puppy contently laying in the Wizard's arms. Gandalf looked down at Ed, entranced by his green eyes; deep emerald and shinning with and ethereal intellect. But Faramir broke their stare,

"Is that the mischievous dog with the green eyes?" He asked, and Gandalf looked up, his meditation broken.

"Indeed it is."

"It is so odd for a dog to have such brilliant eye color," Faramir said, looking at the dog, "Do you think there is a reason why?" he then began to walk in step with Gandalf.

"I do," He said curtly, and Faramir did not press him any further, because he knew that wizards would give their answers at their own time. The two walked towards a large auditorium-type room, where several other people had gathered. It was roof-less, decorated with marble covered with deep, green ivy. The room was like a section of a circle, wide around the edges and narrow in the center. There were benches rippling out from the center, where the people had seated themselves. Allison stood at the head of room, scribbling at a board against the wall. They entered, and we meet first by Aragorn.

"I see you found the missing dog," He said, glancing over at Pippin and Merry who grinned sheepishly. 

"I think I should keep and eye on him from now on." Faramir said, and took the leash from Pippin and led Ed over to some seats in the front of the room, closest to Allison, and sat next to Éowyn. He looked about the room to see who else was attending the conference, he saw Eric sitting with the hobbits, Laura was sitting by Galadriel, Celeborn and the other elves of Lothlórien, while Elrond and the elves of Rivendell and the elves of Mirkwood sat slightly apart from them. He also spotted several noblemen from both Gondor as well as Rohan. Éomer came and sat with he and Eowyn.

"Aragorn, there is something I feel I need to tell you about Ed."

"Ed?"

"The dog…"

"Oh yes, go ahead." The two began to walk towards a set of benches that were unoccupied.

"Ed, I suspect, is a messenger from Charles the Green." Aragorn looked at him in disbelief.

"Charles the Green? But I thought he was killed…"

"As did I, but there is evidence that he may still be alive, and with Frodo nonetheless!"

"Frodo! How could you know?" Gandalf motioned for Aragorn to be quite as Allison began to speak.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen….and elves I suppose as well." Allison cleared her throat and sighed but continued. "Thank you for joining me today. I have spent a great many hours trying to decipher the science behind Eric and my travels." At this Eric scoffed and Allison shot him a subtitle look of scorn. "And have finally accomplished some of it. So to begin with, I would like to explain the idea of time travel…" This started the next few hours of the conference (which I will leave out for the sake of time) and ended with the moon beginning to rise slowly over the roof-less arena.

But within the last hour of the meeting, Allison explained an idea that no one had heard her discuss before

"Yet there was one question which had remained unanswered in my travels and studies, one questions that I did not bother to answer because I didn't think I would ever need to face this questions. But recently, it is just that question which haunts me: Is there a way in which for one party to leave and one to stay. The question may seem insignificant to all of the other sciences, which have dominated this meeting, but it is a question of the heart, which I have finally discovered.

"When we traveled to the woods of Lothlórien, and discussed our journeys with the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, it was understood that I could not travel without Eric and Eric could not travel without myself. Yet, this is an idea that never quite settled with me. It seems to be against the laws of physics to have two bodies connected by one interspacial and chronological machine. As such, I believe that it is possible for us to travel or not travel at our own self-will.

"The idea that Eric and I discovered prior to our most recent trip was that I could only dictate where we traveled to, like some mental time-machine. However, I now believe that the same mental time-machine can dictate whom I bring with me on these journeys. Like I had been thinking about each world before I entered it, it had been Eric who I last spoke too before we entered these journeys. It was the idea of Eric, as it was the idea of Middle-Earth that dictated where I went and whom I brought with me. Therefore, I find no reason to say that one of us could not stay and one could leave." Aragorn asked a question,

"Do you then deny the idea of destiny in this matter?"

"Destiny?" Allison asked confused.

"That perhaps you were destined to travel together?" At this Allison started to laugh, but composed herself quickly. Eric smacked himself on the forehead, and shook his head at her lack of composer. 

"No, I think that Eric subconsciously brought himself here, with me. There is a portal in his house, one in mine and it just so happened that whenever I traveled, he did as well." Aragorn asked another question,

"Do you plan to experiment with this idea." Allison hesitated a bit.

"Yes." She said, Eric looked at her shocked. 

"I don't remember agreeing to that!" He muttered to himself. With that, Allison ended the conference, and met with Elrond, Gandalf and Aragorn afterwards. She didn't see Eric for the rest of the night. 

"Lady, now that you've theorized and properly proven your idea, I request of you to journey with myself and my party back to Rivendell so that I may record your story." Elrond said, and Allison nodded, trying not to laugh at the elf who looked so much like an Agent from the Matrix. It was hard for Allison to separate people. 

"When will you be leaving?"

"As soon as the wedding commences and concludes." Allison nodded, and Elrond and Gandalf left. Aragorn offered to escort Allison back to her room. 

"Lady, I know of the offer given to you by Éomer." 

"Yes…"

"With this new discover of yours, I have to question whether or not your decision has changed."

"I'm torn, more so now than before." Aragorn nodded. "I guess I have to talk to Eric about it first." She sounded unsure, and there was a moment for silence while the two walked through the streets of Gondor, moonlight and starlight falling on them.

"What do you think I should do?"

"Oh, I should not be directing you on a matter that is concerning your heart."

"But I need help. I can't figure this out on my own." Aragorn sighed deeply,

"Listen to your heart, young one. That is all I can tell you, let nothing else sway you, because if you ignore what your heart tell you to do, regrets will fill your life forevermore." Allison smiled.

"You see, that wasn't so bad!" Aragorn grinned a little; "I can see why Arwen love you so much." Allison said as they approached her room, and bid goodnight. 

Allison entered her room where Éowyn and Laura dressed for bed. (Notice how I room with my two devout readers?)

"Hello, Eric came by while you were talking with Aragorn, Elrond and Gandalf." Éowyn said as she brushed long blond hair.

"Oh, did he said anything?"

"No, only that he'd talk to you in the morning." 

"Ok."

"My brother told me of his request of you."

"Wow, that got around quickly."

"Oh?"

"He told Aragorn too."

"I wish you might change your mind. When I've married Faramir, Éomer will be so alone in Rohan."

"Than you plan to stay in Gondor with Faramir?" Allison said trying to change the subject.

"Yes, but not forever. Rohan is my heart and I could never leave it for good. Though I may live and see many places in my life, Rohan will always be home for me." And with that, the three settled into bed.


	16. Decisions

Decisions 

"Charlie, I have come to a decision." Frodo announced in the morning as they gathered their things up.

"Good, my lad, good."

"I know why I ran away. It was not just because I lacked the nostalgia to desire a return home, it is because I'm afraid of what home will be like when I return there. When I was in Lorthlórien, with the Lady Galadria, she showed me something in her mirror that I did not…"

"I know, Frodo lad, I know." Charlie said, and Frodo looked at him with confusion, "I know many things about you, that you do not even know yourself."

"But do you know what home will be like if I return?"

"Yes. But you will have to face your fear, no matter whether you delay, destiny will force you to come to term with whatever haunts you."

"I never understood why I ran until now. But what I was looking for I never found. However I may understand my reasoning, I still do not know what I set out to find. I long for rest, Charlie, when can I get it?" Frodo's face was still sullen, and his eyes vacant.

"Soon. Sooner than you think."

"But I feel I must return home." Charlie smiled,

"What you set out to find, you will find soon enough."

* * *

Allison awoke to Laura opening the curtains so that the light poured in over her face.

"Gag!" Allison muttered and rolled over. "Close the curtains!"

"No, it is about time you awoke. It is nearly 7!" Laura cried and opened them wider; Allison cringed, and struggled to get up. 

"7! Why, I'd still be asleep if I were at home."

"But you are not home."

"Or is she?" Éowyn asked walking out of the bathroom, Allison looked at her; she only smiled mysteriously, as she brushed her beautiful golden hair. 

"Oh you have such lovely hair!" Laura cried admiring her. "Not like mine…" She touched her pale yellow hair, and stared enviously at Éowyn. "Its no wonder Faramir fell in love with you." Éowyn smiled. Allison got up, stretched, and began to change.

A little while later, Allison went to the House of Healing to get her bandages changed. Eric made up a dressing for her.

"So what is this you say about only one of us going home?" Eric asked, slightly annoyed. 

"Uh, I guess now is just as good of a time as any to tell you. Éomer wants me to live in Rohan…with him."

"WHAT?!" Eric cried nearly dropping the dressing to the floor. "You said no, right?" Allison shook her head.

"I didn't give and answer." Eric stared at her dumbfounded. 

"But you are going to say no, right?" Allison shook her head again. He continued to stare at her as if she hadn't said anything. 

"I'm going to stay here…" Allison eyes began to water, and Eric shook his head.

"No, you're kidding right? You can't stay here, and leave me…"

"Please, understand what a difficult situation it is for me. But I don't want to go home, I feel like I belong here. I never belonged on Earth. This was destiny, Eric." He shook his head.

"But you can't…" He said helplessly. Tears began to roll down Allison cheek, "You can't just abandoned your family! What am I going to tell them when I go home?"

"Please understand…" Allison said tearfully, but Eric just walked out of the room, leaving Allison alone to cry.

* * *

"I can see them!" Legolas cried. "I can see Frodo! But a strange man, I have never seen before, accompanies him." 

"Frodo!" Sam cried and hugged Legolas, who sat behind him, so tightly that Legolas couldn't breath.

"Sam, please…" He said smiling, because finally being able to see Frodo was such a relief, strangulation by a joyful friend wasn't so bad. 

* * *

Eric was talking to Aragorn about Allison's decision.

"How can she abandon her home?"

"Perhaps this is her real home."

"But…"

"Just because she was not born here, and her family does not live here does not mean that she cannot feel as though she belongs here. You must understand what a difficult situation this is for her. The feeling to stay here must have been so compelling and powerful to make her decide one over the other. Did you ever consider that?" Eric shook his head.

"No, I guess I didn't."

"One's heart can lead them in many different places then one would imagine. She listened to her heart, even if her logic and reason pulled her in a different direction, could you imagine what she would feel going back with you, knowing that she should have stayed here. There will be regrets in either decision, pros and cons to every conflict, but in the end, one decision will prevail."

"But I will miss her, and so will her family and friends."

"And Éomer would miss her, and the hobbits, and myself…this was no easy choice for her." Eric nodded, knowing that everything Aragorn said was true, and that there wasn't anyway to bring her home with him.

* * *

"Would you care to accompany me on a ride?" Éowyn asked Allison, who was mopping around her room. She nodded and the two walked out to the stables and mounted up. They began slowly around the fields of Gondor.

"I know of the decision you have made. You make Éomer very happy." Allison forced a smiled, "I know that the decision was a difficult one for you,"

"More than you'll ever know!" Allison said,

"Yet, your heart can never led you in the wrong direction, just remember that. Love will never prove you wrong, or teach you the wrong lesson."

"All you need is love…" Allison said, quoting the Beatles/Moulin Rouge and then laughed at her own joke, one that Éowyn didn't understand.

"Yet amidst this time of sadness for you, I have a piece of joy."

"Oh, what's that?"

"Frodo has been found." Allison squealed with joy, causing her horse to snort in a disapproving fashion. 

"How do you know?" Éowyn smiled but didn't say anything. "That is wonderful! This is wonderful! Now your wedding can go on!"

"Yes, for that I am very grateful. This will be a celebration of many occasions, and a parting for many people."

* * *

"Gandalf, you mentioned before that you feel that Frodo is in the hands of Charles the Green, is that correct?" Aragorn asked.

"That is correct, Aragorn."

"Will you give me reasons behind this feeling?"

"That dog, Ed…"

"The one Faramir is taking care of, yes?"

"He is a messenger from Charles."

"How can you tell?"

"Do not question so much, dear Aragorn, Wizards can communicate with many flora and fauna."

"Yet, I had believed for so many years that Charles was dead."

"Missing, not dead. I have suspicious where he could have gone, but will allow him to confirm those for me."

"Then he returns Frodo?"

"Frodo returns himself. Charles accompanies him." Aragorn nodded, being able to understand much from what little Gandalf said. 

"Can we expect to learn the reasons behind why Frodo ran away?"

"We can never expect anything from life, Aragorn."

* * *

Many days later, Laura was painting again. But this time she had Pippin and Merry sit by her, so as so oblivious hobbits or runaway dogs could disrupt her. 

"Lady Laura, I'm bored and hungry!" Pippin whined. 

"I am nearly through." Laura said as she placed the finishing touches on her painting. "There! Done!" She announced, and stood back to proudly admire her painting, but suddenly Merry leaped at her, knocking her to the ground. She heard the sounds of horse hooves galloping across the cobble ground, as well as the sound of the horse knocking over her painting. When the horse had passed, Merry helped Laura up.

"I apologize, Lady, but I feared you getting trampled by that horse!" Merry said, and Laura nodded,

"I understand, Merry. But, oh! My painting!" She knelt to the painting she was doing of the entrance of the citadel. "Who ever did this will pay dearly!" She said menacingly.

"I believe it was Legolas, with Sam on his back." Pippin said.

"Legolas!" Laura cried, "Then they return! They return!" 

"I do not care if they return unless they have Frodo!" Merry said.

"Yes, that is understandable!" Laura said, beginning to pick up her painting. "I've learned my lesson, I can never paint unless all of the hobbits are present!" But as she was picking up her stuff, she dropped it and turned to the hobbits. "What are we waiting for? We should go see if they found Frodo or not!" And with that the three raced off into the direction in which Legolas and Sam had ridden. 

They reached the entrance of the Courts just as Legolas was helping Sam dismount.

"Sam! Did you find him!" Pippin asked, breathless.

"Oh Mr. Pippin!" Sam rushed over to him and embraced him. "That we did Mr. Pippin, that we did!" The three hobbits hugged and were joyful, and Laura looked to Legolas.

"I must apologize for the painting I ruined, Lady. I am forever sorry." Legolas looked sincere, and Laura blushed.

"It was nothing, if it was lost for the joy you bring, then it is no causality." Legolas smiled, but could not say anything as Aragorn, and Gandalf rushed out of the Court to meet Legolas and Sam.

"You are the bearer of good news, Legolas." Gandalf said, smile beaming. 

"They come only a day behind, but we could not wait to share the fruits of our labor." Legolas said, and glanced at Sam, who was still doing a little happy dance with Pippin and Merry. 

"There will be much celebration when Frodo returns." Aragorn said.

"Gandalf, I must ask you, for this is a question that has bothered me for several days now,"

"Yes, Legolas?"

"There was a strange man who was accompanying Frodo, he gave his name as Charlie, yet he looks strikingly familiar…nevertheless I could not place his face to any name I have learned. Do you know of whom I speak of?" Gandalf smiled.

"I do, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a another day to learn it for yourself."

"You make me wait?" Legolas asked 

"I do." the elf smiled and then began to led his horse away.

"Lady Laura, I must amend what I've done to your painting. Come, I will help you pick up the remnants of what I have destroyed." Legolas said to Laura, who smiled and walked away with him. Aragorn, and Gandalf watched with delight as the hobbits rejoiced. 


	17. The End of the End

The End of the End

The next three days were extremely hectic for everyone in Gondor. Frodo returned, and though everyone knew he would never be the same ever again, it was nice just to see his face. 

It was revealed, one night at dinner, that Charlie, the mysterious man Frodo met, was indeed Charles the Green, a Wizard of Istari. His apparent absence from Middle-Earth for several hundred years was not explained, though he claimed that it would be told before the end of the story. 

The weddings of Faramir and Éowyn, as well as Aragorn and Arwen were enchanting and beautiful, though rather sad. It was an end of an era and the parting of many, even if it was the union of so much. 

At the end of the third day, many tears had been shed as Elrond parted with Arwen; Allison with Eric; and Eric with everyone from Middle Earth. It was a sad conclusion to a sorrowful story, just as much as it was a happy ending to a love story. 

In the beginning of the fourth day [we are counting days from when Legolas and Sam came back to Gondor] Allison left with the fellowship [minus Aragorn and add a bunch of people] to go to Rivendell so that Elrond might record her tale. After that, she planned to go back to Rohan and live there, and marry Éomer when she was a little older. 

Laura, too, accompanied the Fellowship to so that she could return to Lorthórien with Galadria and Celeborn. On the morning of the fourth day, her and Allison walked out of Gondor together. 

"It is so sad isn't it? I've spent the most pivotal month of my life here and now I'm finally leaving." Allison said, 

"It is. Though, this is not the last time you'll see Gondor, I'll promise you that." Laura said. "My only regret is that I never got a painting done…" She glared at the hobbits,

"I never got a chance to ask, how did Legolas repay you for destroying your painting?" Laura began to blush and giggle.

"I will leave that up to your imagination." she said between laughs, and Allison snickered.

"Lucky…" She said smiling. 

It may come as a rather dull ending to a dramatic story, but as many tales end, Allison lived a life, happily ever after in Middle Earth. She did marry Éomer when she was in her late 20's, had several children, and traveled quite a bit around Middle Earth, visiting friends from the Shire to Rivendell. She lived a long full life, until the age of 73 when her life in Middle Earth ended. 


	18. Epilogue

Epilogue

When Eric awoke after the wedding of Arwen and Aragorn, he awoke in Allison's house. He looked around, trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings, it had been nearly a month seen he had seen Earth. He glanced to the chair Allison had been sitting in when they first started out this adventure, and felt a pang of sadness, but one he quickly pushed aside. There didn't appear to be anyone else home. In fact, the house was exactly as he has left it, it almost appeared that he had never left. He gripped the notebook at his side, and glanced at the clock. 

"1:35." He said to himself, and then got a thoughtful look on his face. He opened up the notebook, and looked at the time recorded right before Allison and he had fallen asleep, it read 1:30. 

"That's just too unreal to be correct," he muttered to himself. But could it be possible, that after a month in Middle Earth that only less than 5 minutes could have passed. He got up and raced to the calendar, and sure enough, just that had happened, one month there, 5 minutes here. Eric sat himself on a kitchen chair,

"That means that the time intervals change…" he said out aloud, as if Allison could hear him. "But, how?" Eric sat there pondering for nearly 20 minutes, and then out of no where, Allison appeared, walking down the stairs. Eric jumped up, raced over to her and hugged her. Allison looked at him confused.

"You're here! You decided not to leave after all!" Allison shook her head slowly. 

"No, I stayed there, I lived there….I was 73." Allison said slowly. Now Eric looked confused as well. 

"What?"

"I stayed! I was there! Éomer had died a few years ago, and our son was ruling. I went to go visit Faramir and Éowyn and Charlie was there…" Allison had to sit down. "Wow, this is really strange, I'm not used to being in a young body again."

"Wait, you're saying that you lived in Middle Earth for 57 odd years, and then you just ended up here, 20 minutes after I returned, 57 years ago?" Eric looked confused at what he just said, "By gosh, I've gone cross eyed." Allison began to laugh and smacked his arm.

"Do you know what this means?"

"That the time intervals don't stay the same?"

"That the time intervals don't stay the same!" Allison exclaimed repeating what Eric just said as if she didn't hear him. "Oh, how did you know?"

"When I came back here, those 20 minutes earlier, only 5 minutes had elapsed since we first left. If that makes any sense." Allison got a look on pension,

"Hmm, I suppose that our dimensional orbital aren't totally circular." Eric raised and eyebrow and Allison brushed it away with her hand. "I'll explain later."

"So tell me, how did you end up come back here?" Eric asked.

"Like I said, I was 73 and visiting Faramir and Éowyn. They were old now too, and had several kids. So I went there and Charlie was there. He asked me why I never returned to Earth. And I told him…

* * *

"I have always wondered, Lady Allison, why you never returned to Earth." Charlie asked, he looked older, though not much. 57 years for him, was like a month for humans.

"I am afraid of how the world has changed. I dare not enter a strange placed unknowing." Allison responded; she was much older, graying hair and a feeble body. The death of Éomer had taken quite a toll on her. 

"Do not fear so much Lady! Do you wish to die wondering?"

"I will die wondering whether I return or not. There is forever regret laced on my heart, a feeling of question, of how I might have lived had I returned to Earth."

"Do you regret too much?"

"No, for my life was good here, and I loved much."

"Then return, once more, just to lay one wonderment to rest." Allison shook her head.

"Charlie, I am too old to go gallivanting around." Charlie chuckled.

"Let me tell you something, Lady. Would you care to know where I had 'disappeared to' for so many years before you arrived?"

"Yes, you promised to tell before, but never did."

"I will now." Charlie's green eyes sparkled. "I was on Earth. I lived on Earth for many many years." Allison's eyes grew wide.

"Earth? My Earth?"

"Yes, I lived as a teacher for 20 years before I returned."

"I did not know you could…dimension hop." She said in a hush. 

"Indeed!" He said smiling. Allison looked at him curiously. 

"You've lived twice then?"

"It is more than anyone could ask for." He said nodding, "Unless it was destined to be so." He eyed her, and she looked thoughtful. 

"The children from the Chronicles of Narnia lived two lives…"

"Lady, you should return, once more, before you die."

"You talk as if I were to die tomorrow!" Allison exclaimed.

"Life if precarious, carpie diem! Seize the day!" Charlie cried.

"I gather you watched 'Dead Poets Society' as well?" Charlie grinned.

"It's a wonderful movie." 

"I wonder how many movies I've missed? I missed seeing 'The Two Towers' and 'Return of the King' though, it might not much matter. I've essentially lived the movie." She sighed, "But still…" 

"Do you wish to return?" Allison nodded.

"Yes, get me Earthly clothing and I will return!"

* * *

"And that is how I ended up here." Allison concluded. 

"So you have lived two lives?" Eric asked, smiling.

"I suppose it was destined that way." Allison looked around in wonderment, "Either way, it's nice to be home."

The End!!!


End file.
